We're So Renewable, Our Tips Never Run Out!

City of Sunnyvale, California sent this bulletin at 02/06/2026 02:27 PM PST

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Sustainable Sunnyvale Newsletter - Feb. 2026

Free Multi-Family Bulky Item Pickup is Here!

In January this year, we launched a free bulky item pickup program for multi-family homes. Both residents and property managers can make an appointment online to get large items removed from the property. Each multi-family unit can schedule two appointments per calendar year. Each appointment allows pickup of up to two bulky items.

This program is intended to help multi-family residents get rid of bulky items during move-ins, move-outs or clean outs. This includes mattresses, furniture, large electronics, exercise equipment and children’s play equipment. The bulky item pickup program will also help property managers manage illegally dumped items. This program doesn’t accept property-owned appliances like refrigerators, stoves or dishwashers; they can be taken to the SMaRT Station for a fee. It also doesn’t accept household hazardous waste like propane tanks or cleaning solutions; residents can schedule a free hazardous waste drop-off at HHW.org.

To make a bulky item pickup appointment for a multi-family home:

Go to the Sunnyvale Recycles Right App or visit Recycles Right
Click on the button that says “On-Call Pickup”
Type in the address for the main office of the multi-family home – this may be different from an individual unit’s address
Enter the two bulky items you want to get rid of
Pick the date for your appointment

Watt a Win: Clean Energy Grant Awarded

The City was awarded a $1.1 million dollars in competitive grant funds and $600,000 in non-competitive grant funds from Silicon Valley Clean Energy! The grant funds will help our City with several clean energy projects, including:

Installing solar panels and battery storage at Sunnyvale Fire Station 2
Expanding Sunnyvale Public Library’s Library of Things with all-electric items
Hiring an electrification liaison to work one-on-one with commercial and multifamily properties on electrification projects

This grant supports Sunnyvale’s plan to reduce emissions from buildings. Visit Sustainability to learn more about Sunnyvale’s climate action programs.

Community & Climate is an adult lecture series hosted by the library. It focuses on global climate action. Speakers discuss new technologies and ways to build a fairer world. Recorded talks are now available to watch at your convenience on the Sunnyvale Public Library’s YouTube page.

Our Lovely Watershed

We use water every day, but we don't always think about the bigger cycle it’s a part of. Water is always on the move and has a long journey before it ends up in your water bottle or lands on your umbrella. Part of this journey involves the Watershed, an area of land that drains to one common place. Sunnyvale and eight other south Bay cities belong to the West Valley Watershed. When it rains, water can either soak into the ground or flow downhill through the Watershed. If water finds a storm drain, it will continue its journey to the Bay through underground pipes. Sunnyvale has over 7,000 storm drains connected to our storm drain system. These drains release the water into local creeks and the Bay, without cleaning or filtering. If there are pollutants on the street before it rains, those pollutants could get picked up by water and end up in the Bay. Small individual actions can help keep our Watershed clean and the Bay healthy.

Here are a few ways you can protect your Watershed:

Keep your car regularly maintained to avoid leaking motor oil.
Pick up after your pets. Pet waste contains bacteria that are harmful to our waterways.
Take your car to a car wash. Soapy water from washing your car at home can enter a storm drain.
Purchase less toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Look for ones with “Our Water, Our World” or “Safer Choice” labels. Also, limit overwatering your gardens, as the runoff contains chemicals that can pollute stormwater.
Educate others around you! Many people do not know that storm drains flow directly to the Bay without getting cleaned first.

Visit Pollution Prevention for tips to protect our watershed.

Questions? Call 408-730-7717 or email us at green@sunnyvale.ca.gov

Ready to electrify your ride, but don't know where to start? Attend our Electric Vehicle (EV) Ride and Drive event on March 7 at Baylands Park.Test drive a variety of EVs, speak to long-term EV owners and get a complimentary burrito or taco from the on-site food truck!

Calling all K-8 student artists in Santa Clara Valley! The Watershed Watch Annual Earth Day Poster Challenge is now open for submissions. Share your creative vision and show your love for our local waterways (creeks, rivers, lakes)! Or show you can prevent stormwater pollution! Enter by March 16 for your chance to win up to $250. The contest is open to K-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th grade students in Santa Clara County. Winners from each grade bracket will receive cash prizes, $250 for first place and $150 for second place. They will also have their art featured on social media to promote water pollution prevention. Get all the details, and submit your art at Watershed Watch.

SVYCA Sunnyvale Action Team

The SVYCA Sunnyvale Action Team is a group of passionate middle and high school students aiming to improve our city through critical climate policy, advocacy, and education. We asked everyone: What does it mean to be an SVYCA member? Here’s what they say:

What do we do?
- “Everything from widespread policy advocacy to grassroots community outreach,” Kathane
- “[SVYCA] encourages youth to build skills and gives resources to do that,” Mulchandani
- “Make a bigger impact while playing to and building our individual strengths,” Chuang
Why join?
- “Gain elite ball knowledge (life skills: public speaking, running meetings, planning events, organizing campaigns, networking),” Park
- “It’s a community that brings youth together for impact,” Churbanova
- “The friendly atmosphere where everyone can communicate and create solutions to real-world problems, instead of a classroom,” Surenda
What have you learned?
- “Real progress often starts at the local level,” Iyer
- “Progress can be small but significant,” Chen-Lee
- “There is so much strength in youth power,” Li

About SVYCA: is a youth-led nonprofit that empowers teens and young adults to combat climate change with impactful, policy and education initiatives.